Ore classifier



R. P. AKINS.

ORE CLASSIFIER.

APPLICATION msn ocT..4. 1920.

Patented Apr. 4, 1922.

3 SHEETS-SHEET l.

Innen/$011.'

N Randall R Akin/s,

R. P. AKNSI ORE CLASSIFIER.'

APPLICATION FILED ocr. 4', 1920.

Patented Apr. 4i?Y mmm@ 3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

R. P. 'AK|NS.

ORE CLASSIFIER.

APPLICATION FILED ocr. 4. 1920.

Patented Apr. 4, 1922. 3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

Randall R Alsina', a@ WM VM 'of parts hereinafter described RANDALL :PORTER ARIN-S, VOF DENVER, COLORADO.

ORE CLASSIFIIER.`

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patenten Apr. e, 192,2.

Application led October 4, 1920. Serial No. 414,599.

To all whom t may concern.'

Be it known that I, RANDALL P. AKINS. a citizen of the United States, resident of Denver, Colorado, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Ore Classifiers, of which the following is a specification.

My present invention relates to improvements in ore classifiers of the type shown in Letters Patent of the United States granted to me on the 16th day of May, 1911, #992629.

The invention aims to provide a simple, economical and efficient form of means for drying the coarse dischargewhich will not become clogged or pbstructed in use, and the invention includes the novel features oAf construction and arrangement and combinationl and particularly defined by the appended claims.

An embodiment of my invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure l is a plan view of a classifier with my invention partly broken away.

Figure 2 is a longitudinal vertical section.

Figure 3 is a section on line 3 3 of Fig. 1.

Figure 4 is a detail view of the filter bottom.

. Figure 5 is an enlargedv sectional detail of the valve.

Figure 6 is a plan view of the same viewed from above Fig. 5.

Figures 7 and 8 are respectively a plan view and a transverse section of the stationary member of the valve, and

Figures 9 and 10 are similar views of the rotary valve member.

Referring by reference characters to this drawing the letter A designates a stationary tank or trough of approximately semi-circular cross section designed to be supported in any suitable manner so that its bottom will be inclined to the horizontal.

Journaled within the tank is a rotary shaft B designed to be rotated by any suitable means, preferably through gears B and B2 from shaft BB and belt pulley B4. This rotary shaft carries, for a portion of its length, a spiral conveyer consisting of a continuous spiral flight or flights, as indicated at C, the continuous conveyer being coated in that portion of thetrough which s lowermost so as to be partially submerged in the liquid contained therein. Succeeding the continuous spiral and lying in the more elevated portion ofthe trough is a section of interrupted spirally located flights or rabbles D, which for convenience, I mount on the same shaft as the continuous spiral, as by this arrangement both may be operated from the same shaft and operating mechanism. These spiral fiights have rabbles or blades which are arranged along the shaft of the conveyer with relation to each other as show'n in Fig. 2, so that they not only serve to convey the material toward the more elevated portion but thoroughly agitate it as each succeeding blade tends to havev a plowing eect upon the material left by the preceding blade while the liquid can drain freely back through and between the blades or interrupted spirals.

-At the side of the trough is located the feed hopper E having a feed opening communicating with said trough at point e which .is below. the liquid level within the trough, so that the material fed is completely submerged before entering into the trough, thus making a submerged feed opening at the side of the trough. At the lower end is located an overflow weir F over which the slime and lighter particles overflow, and from which they may bel conveyed in any suitable manner to a receiving tank for further treatment. At the upper end isv located a sand receiving hopper G.

The parts as above described are substantia``iy as set forth in my aforesaid patent.

in my present construction I provide the portion of the bottom of the trough with a filter, as indicated at K, for the purpose of drying the coarse discharge, which is constructed of a plurality of sections conveniently six as indicated atv K, K', K2, K3, K4, K5. Y

Each of these filternsections is preferably constructed by layingnext to the bottom of the trough a layer of heavy wire cloth c for the purpose of separating the filter medium from the bottom and permitting drainage to the outlet. Upon this is placed wire cloth of a finer mesh to provide an even surface, upon whichy is placed a layer of canvas 7a2. A further-layer of ,wire cloth may be placed upon the canvas to prevent it from bulging upward under the blowing action hereinafter described.

The filter sections are separated pom each other by transverse division bars lx, which are preferably of channel shape enabling the fine wire cloth and canvas to be held in position by extending their edges'into the channels and fitting therein clamping bars le held in position by suitable means, such as screws 7c".

These sections are provided with outlet pipes designated L, L, L2, L3. L4 and L, which lead to and connect with ports or openings t in a stationary valve member M, at points circumferentially arranged and equi-distant from each other as in F 1gure 7.

This stationary member also has a port m designed to be connected by a pipe M with any suitable suction apparatus (not shown).

The valve plate isfurther provided with a port j to which is connected a pipe J leading to any suitable blowing or air or liquid forcing apparatus (not shown).

The stationary valve plate has a recessed face in which may be seated a wear plate f having holes corresponding to the ports m and It, the wear plate being conveniently held in place bymeans of screws as shown in Fig. 8.

A rotary valve member N has a face to seat against the wear plate within the raised edge of the stationary valve member and is held in position under pressure by spring a confined between the cross-head rand the rotary member, the crosshead being tied to the stationary member by rods s having their lower ends tapped into openings z' in the stationary member. I prefer to have the lower end of the spring bear against a ring washer p which forms a part of a ball race of an anti-friction thrust bearing, the other ball race or part n being seated in a recess in the upper side of the rotary valve member, .and the anti-friction balls being interposed as indicated at o, Fig. 5. l

The rotary member is operated by a shaft t which has its lower end inserted in an opening in the rotary valve member, preferably threaded, and held therein by a locking key't. Shaft t carries a worm wheel t2 which is engaged by a worm u on a shaft U driven by bevel gears u', u2 from the shaft B5.

The pressure of the spri-ng may be adjusted by the nuts c on the rods s.

The movable member of the valve has an opening b in its center, in alignment with the port or opening j, which is connected by a channel or passage c with a port or opening d near its outer edge or periphery, which port d is positioned to align successively with the holes 7L as the valve member rotates on its axis. rThis port may be enlarged so as to embrace more than one of the ports 7i in case it is desired to apply pressure within more than one of the filter;

sections, that is, to apply the blowing action to the sections in airs, for example.

The valve member Npis further provided with a space g, Fi s. 9 and 10, which 1s of sufficient area and ocation as to connect all of the holes or ports with the port m except the one which is temporarily connected by passages b, c, el, with the port m, suction being applied to the stationary member of the valve at this port m and air under pressure to the same member at the port y'. As the movable member of the valve rotates, there will be a blowing of air` through the ports h during short successive periods as the hole d comes successively in alignment with the holes It. Such holes or ports z. as are not in alignment with the hole d are then under vacuum or suction on account of being connected with the hole m by means of the space or recess g.

Liquid is then drawn from the various sections ot' the filter medium at all times through pipes connected with the holes It and through the. recess g into the suction pipe connected to m, except when the hole (Z is in successive alignment with a hole It at which time air or liquid is blown through that filter section; thus the filter sections will be successivel)v subjected to a blowing action to clear the same, by Jforcing of air or liquid upwardly through their porous bottoms.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is 1. An apparatus of the character described comprising a trough having a dis charge at one end for the liquid and a discharge at the opposite end for non-liquid material, an agitator and conveyor in said trough for conveying the non-liquid material to the non-liquid discharge end, said trough having a bottom portion comprising a plurality of filter sections, and means for subjecting the interior of said sections Consecutively to alternate suction and pressure.

An apparatus of the character described comprising a trough having a discharge at one end for the liquid and a discharge at the opposite end for non-liquid material` an agitator and conveyor in said' trough for conveying the non-liquid material to the non-liquid discharge end, said trough having' a bottom portion comprising a plurality of filter sections, means for subjecting said sections to suction, and means for interposing pressure in one or more of the sections at a time consecutively.

3. An apparatus of the character described comp-rising a trough having a dis charge at one end for the liquid and. a discharge at the opposite end fernen-liquid material, an agitator and conveyor in said trough for conveying the non-liquid material to the nondiquid discharge end, said trough having a bottoni portion comprising its@ trough having a bottom portion comprising' a plurality of filter sections, means for subjecting said sections to suction, and means for interrupting said suction in one or more of said sections at a time consecutively and subjecting it or them to a yreverse pressure of air or liquid during said interruptions.

5. An apparatus of the character Vdescribed comprising av trough having a discharge at one end for the liquid and a discharge at the opposite end for non-liquid .material an agitator and conveyor in said trough or conveying.; the non-liquid material to the non-liquid discharge end, said trough having abottom portion comprising a plurality of iilter'sections, and means for subjecting saidsections one or more at a time consecutively to pressure, and the sec-- tions when not subjected to pressure to suction. Y

6. An apparatus of the character described comprising a trough having a discharge at one end for the liquid and a discharge at the opposite end for non-liquid material, an agitator and conveyor in said trough for conveying the non-liquid material to the non-liquid discharge end, said trough having a bottomportion comprising .a lurality of filter sections, a stationary va vemember having a plurality of` ports communicating with said filter sections, and a movable member designed to connect said ports selectively with a uid pressure supply and with a source of suction, and means for moving said movable valve member.

7. An apparatus of the character described comprising a trough having a discharge at one end for the liquid and a discharge at the opposite end for non-liquid material, an agitator andconveyor in said trough for conveying the non-liquid material to the non-liquid discharge end, said trough having a bottom portion comprising a plurality of filter sections, a' stationary vvalve member having an annular row of ports, pipes connecting said port-s to said filter sections, said stationary valve having a port for admitting air under pressure, and a suction port, a rotary valve having a passage designed to connect the annular ports With I said air pressure port, and also a passage to connect the annular ports with the suction port, and means for rotating said rotary valve.

v8. An apparatus of the character de@ scribed comprising a trough havingl a discharge at one end for the liquid anda dis charge 'atl the opposite end for non-liquid material, an agitator and conveyor in said trough for conveying the non-liquid material to the non-liquid` discharge end, said trough having a bottom portion comprising a plu-' rality of filter sections, a stationary valve having an annular series of ports and a central and an offset port, pipes connecting said annularports to the filter sections, pressure and suction pipes connected .respectively to the central and offset ports, a rotary valve member cooperating with said stationary member and having a recessed face portion designed to connect the annular ports with' the suction port, @Il having a port or passage designed to's"ccessivelyconnect said annular ports Withsfaid pressure port, and means for rotating 'the valve.

yIn testimony vvhereoflaiiix my signature.

RANDALL PORTER AKINS. 

